Press Releases
Durbin on Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominees in Central District
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, has unanimously approved Sue Myerscough and James Shadid for federal judgeships on the U.S. District Court in the Central District of Illinois. Their nominations will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate. "Justice Myerscough and Judge Shadid will each bring a great depth of experience and legal acumen to the federal judiciary," said Durbin. "Three of the four di… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Durbin, Reed, Brown Introduce Bill to Ensure Long-Term Stability of Unemployment Insurance
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - To prevent a tax increase on small businesses and to ensure that cash-strapped states are able to continue providing a critical lifeline to struggling families as they search for work, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced legislation to revamp the unemployment insurance program and ensure its long-term solvency. The Unemployment Insurance Solvency Act - which will likely be defi… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Durbin Stands With Wisconsin Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today, standing with Wisconsin's workers as they fight budget cuts and an effort to strip them of their collective bargaining rights by Governor Scott Walker: "When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker decided to refuse federal high speed rail money, I said I would welcome it with open arms in Illinois. Tonight, I say the same to the members of the Wisconsin State Senate who are fighting for … Continue Reading
02.17.11
Durbin Announces a More Than $325,000 FEMA Grant to Elgin Fire Department
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $327,557 grant to the Elgin Fire Department in Elgin, Illinois, for recruitment initiatives aimed at increasing the number of frontline firefighters. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we mus… Continue Reading
02.16.11
Durbin Asks DOT to Send Unused Federal Rail Money to Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, asking him to consider the Chicago Hub Network if he chooses to redistribute the high speed rail funding that the Governor of Florida rejected earlier today. Durbin wrote: "Almost one year ago, the entire Illinois Congressional delegation wrote to you communicating our belief that Illinois provides the best opportunity to invest in high speed rail. Since then, the Depar… Continue Reading
02.16.11
Durbin, Kirk, Costello, Shimkus Urge President to Include Levees in Efforts to Improve National Infrastructure
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Congressmen Jerry Costello (D-IL) and John Shimkus (R-IL) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to include levees and water infrastructure improvements in efforts to improve the nation's infrastructure. Noting the President's recent emphasis on infrastructure development as a key component in economic growth, they reinforced the need to include repairing and improving America's levees as a part of this pr… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Durbin, Lautenberg ask MLB Commissioner to Ban Tobacco Use
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Citing the recent announcement by Washington Nationals pitcher Steven Strasburg about the dangers of smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball (MLB), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today called on the Commissioner of the MLB, Bud Selig, and the MLB Players Association to ban the use of tobacco products on the field, in the dugout, and in the locker rooms at MLB venues. "It has been 28 years since the MLB ended tobacco use in its mino… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Durbin Expresses Support For Cape Air
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today expressed his support for Cape Air's application to provide long-term service at Quincy Regional Airport that would likely lead to the airline moving maintenance and other associated work to the region - a prospect that could add good paying jobs to Western Illinois. Late last week, the City of Quincy Aeronautics Committee voted unanimously to support Cape Air's proposal and the Mayor of Quincy, John Spring, relayed that support i… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Durbin Continues to Set the Record Straight on Interchange Fees
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the American Bankers Association today, a week after it penned a letter to its membership and to members of Congress which continued the banking industry's practice of misleading, distorting, and using scare tactics when discussing the new interchange law. The Durbin-authored law directed the Federal Reserve to establish standards to ensure that debit interchange fees are "reasonable and proportional" to th… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Durbin: President Obama's Budget Will Help Create Jobs and Put Us On a Path Towards Reducing Our Debt
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the budget that President Obama delivered makes tough choices to get us back on a stable financial footing while investing in programs that encourage Americans to out-build, out-educate and out-innovate our rivals. Durbin, a member of the President's bipartisan fiscal commission, has been working with Senators from both parties to develop a responsible plan for reducing our debts in the future while promoting desperate… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Durbin: VA Suspends GI Bill Benefits From Some For-Profit Colleges
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today asked the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for a list of colleges and universities from which it has suspended or withdrawn GI Bill and education benefits after discovering questionable recruiting practices used by these institutions. In a response to a December 2010 letter from Durbin, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki explained that the VA had taken these measures after compiling information about erroneous, deceptive or misleading practi… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Durbin To Announce Nominees for Service Academies
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the names of young men and women whom he has nominated to attend the nation's four service academies."I look forward to announcing my service academy nominations every year because the young men and women are some of their generation's most promising leaders in the State of Illinois," Durbin said. "This year's group meets that standard. I have no doubt that they will serve their country honorably and make their families proud."The a… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Durbin to Chair New Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Subcommittee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) made the following statement today after Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) announced the creation of the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Subcommittee and named Durbin as its Chairman: "Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt reminds us that many will risk their lives for the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution. As Chairman of this subcommittee, I will do my best to honor the Constitution wi… Continue Reading
02.13.11
Durbin Announces New Legislation to Ensure Long-Term Viability of Unemployment Insurance Program
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - To ensure that Illinois and other cash-strapped states are able to continue providing a critical lifeline to struggling families as they search for work, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that he will introduce legislation in the Senate this week to revamp the unemployment insurance program and ensure its long-term solvency. The Unemployment Insurance Solvency Act will solidify the program's finances while giving states greater flexibility in managing the… Continue Reading
02.11.11
Durbin Praises Record Breaking Attempt of Lincoln "Farewell Address" Reading
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) commended the efforts of organizers in Springfield, Illinois who are kicking off the national Civil War Sesquicentennial observation by reading President Abraham Lincoln's "Farewell Address" on the 150th anniversary of its original delivery. In a statement submitted for the record in the U.S. Senate, Durbin said: "I urge my fellow Senators to join me in recognizing the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's first inauguration, even… Continue Reading
02.10.11
Durbin Statement on the Situation in Egypt
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned, handing power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and Egypt's military: "For more than two weeks, tens of thousands of Egyptians have been peacefully calling for a voice in choosing a representative government. Today, with the departure of Mubarak, those calls have been heard. Egypt's future is now in the hands of the Egyptian people. … Continue Reading
02.10.11
Durbin and Kirk Statement on Five-Day Delay of O'Hare Lawsuit
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today released a statement following an announcement that a five-day delay has been approved in the lawsuit that United Airlines and American Airlines against the City of Chicago. The agreement to ask for a delay was reached during meetings between representatives of the airlines and city officials. "Today's agreement on a temporary delay of the lawsuit is a positive development in the negotiations between the City of … Continue Reading
02.09.11
Durbin Announces More Than $600,000 in FEMA Grant Funding to Illinois Fire Departments
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded six grants totaling $638,587 to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tools possibl… Continue Reading
02.09.11
Durbin and Kirk Statement on the O'Hare Modernization Program Meeting in Washington
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today released a statement following a meeting between United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek, American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "After meeting with the CEOs of United Airlines and American Airlines two weeks ago, we felt confident that there was room for common ground in the dispute over the O'Hare Modernization Program. We asked the airli… Continue Reading
02.09.11
Durbin Announces $360,000 in Funding to Accelerate Implementation of Electronic Health Records
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $360,000 in funding to the Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center, located at Northern Illinois University, to provide support and assistance to hospitals so they can quickly implement electronic health records systems. The funding will be distributed to 60 Illinois hospitals and rural health centers around the state - each facil… Continue Reading